Bisson Transportation operates 24/7/365 "Yard Management (Trailer Spotting) Services" at three of the major paper mills in Maine. This service involves:

Inspecting empty trailers on arrival at the mill - placing out of service if necessary

Preparing acceptable inspected trailers for loading

Relocating trailers to be loaded (as dictated by the shippers' shipping areas) from the empty trailer yard to the shipper's loading docks

Moving loaded trailers to the ready-to-haul yard

Keeping the numerous carriers and our customers' management and operations personnel aware of trailer availability, condition and status, usually in real time using their Yard Management software or our own proprietary Yard Management software

Providing on-site clerical services such as processing Bills of Lading to the drivers, thus easing workload for the shippers and reducing their costs.

On-Site Trailer Repair

As a compliment to our Yard Management Services, Bisson Transportation, through Bisson's Heavy Duty Truck Center, also provides on-site trailer repair at these locations. Minor repairs can be performed by the Yard Management Services staff directly.

Bisson Transportation's Proprietary Yard Management Software

In order to meet the specific information needs of one mill, Bisson Transportation contracted with a third-party software design firm to design a proprietary bar-coding and scanning system to monitor trailer status in real time. Each trailer that enters the mill premises is bar-coded and scanned into the Yard Management database. It's condition, ownership and availability for loading are entered into fields pertaining to the unique bar codes and can be immediately viewed, over the web, by mill management and the shipping area. The same scanning and data entry process is followed as trailers are "bad-ordered", brought to empty yard, brought to the loading docks, placed in the ready-to-ship yard or cleared to leave the mill. Once trailers have arrived at Bisson's Yard Management facility located in the mill's empty yard, Bisson Transportation's Yard Management personnel are the only drivers authorized to move those trailers on mill property. Bisson Transportation's Yard Management personnel even retrieve full trailers from the ready to ship yard and bring them to the carrier before being cleared to leave. This system has increased this particular mill's safety and efficiency and has allowed them to evaluate carrier on-time performance and the condition of their equipment. Bisson Transportation's proprietary Yard Management System (both software and hardware) are available for lease to interested shippers in need of better monitoring their trailer pools. Call us at the numbers listed at the top of this page.

Requirements of a Yard "Switcher" or "Jockey"

Being a Yard Service "Switcher" or "Jockey" is one of the most demanding truck driving jobs there is. It requires, not only a Class A CDL license, but also the willingness to work up to a 12 hour shift, the ability to move quickly but safely, good organizational skills, and the unique ability to back a hundred or more trailers each day either up to a loading dock or into a tight parking spot without damaging the equipment. Most Class A Drivers can drive their rigs at a reasonable pace for miles at a time before having to take an exit or back into a loading dock. Not many can handle the hectic pace of a mill environment, get in and out of their equipment a hundred or more times a day and drive backwards a high proportion of the time. If you are interested in exploring Yard Switcher employment opportunities at Bisson Transportation, either call the numbers at the top of this page or click on "Recruitment" and select the appropriate category.